A 65-year-old woman was shot and killed outside her own home Wednesday night in Southeast D.C., police said.
Ella-Mae Neal was in the 1800 block of Q Street SE when someone opened fire, a police report says. An officer who was patrolling the area on foot heard the shots and responded at about 10:10 p.m.
Neal had been shot in the leg, police said. She was taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Her family was too heartbroken on Thursday to go on camera.
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A homicide investigation is underway, and police are searching for a vehicle of interest. A surveillance image distributed by police shows a silver sedan.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police. A reward of as much as $25,000 is available.
Metropolitan Police Department data says the city’s homicide rate for the year to date is up 35% compared to the same time last year. In 2021, 74 people have been killed, compared to 55 people by the same time last year. Assault with a dangerous weapon is up 1% and all violent crime is up 2%.
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